Emergency Director s Group AAP Plan of Activities - Haiyan Response, Philippines

Transcription

1 Emergency Director s Group AAP Plan of Activities - Haiyan Response, Philippines The Haiyan Response provides a good opportunity to implement enhanced accountability in line with the Transformative Agenda. Priority in this plan is on accountability at the Inter-Agency level, and a number of other elements of accountability may be introduced in further humanitarian responses. This plan provides what must be done, what should be done, and what could be done, and this first accountability plan by the EDG should set a precedent for further strengthening of accountable responses in the future. Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Communications with Communities (CwC) are all interrelated. They interact and are to some extent interdependent, but any accountability plan should AAP CwC address aspects of all three and include a strong emphasis on the gendered analysis they require. A key part of AAP is providing PSEA information for, and listening to, affected communities, and adapting the international response s strategic objectives and operational planning on the basis of their inputs. This community participation requires that those involved understand and are committed to ensuring broad representation of women and men of all ages. Because the communication infrastructure has broken down, there is a lack of information about the current situation from the perspective of the affected populations. The IASC accountability commitments highlight the importance of leadership, having efficient communications and feedback processes that inform our assessment and planning processes, being transparent about our response, and having community participation in monitoring and evaluation. Current Status Assessment - Rapid Information, Communications and Accountability Assessment (RICAA) questions have been developed. Some communications questions were included in UNDAC and MIRA questionnaires. Coordination - The AAP Task Force has deployed an international Inter-Agency AAP/PSEA Coordinator, co-funded by OCHA and WFP. OCHA deployed their regional CwC Coordinator to support a national CwC staff. As a common service, OCHA is supporting the Philippines Information Agency (PIA) to lead a Communications with Communities Working Group (CWG) with clusters, media and telecommunications partners. It will support agencies and clusters to initiate and strengthen two-way communication flow with affected communities. First meeting held Nov 24 th. Information flow to communities - Four radio stations are operating in Tacloban city providing humanitarian updates and key messaging on WASH and health. Information desks with notice boards managed by communities have been set up in evacuation centres in Tacloban covering some 20,000 people. Community mobilisers recruited by some clusters to hold focus and one-onone discussions within their areas. 1

2 Key Concerns Assessment MIRA and UNDAC assessments have successfully provided initial primary data on the crisis from a community leadership perspective. However, more detailed mapping is needed, including needs assessments focusing on information gaps and communication preferences of affected communities along with an understanding of the particular needs and challenges facing different segments of the communities according to gender, age, disability and diversity. Information flow TO communities - 70% of affected populations in Letye and Samar Provinces have no access to telecommunications and 90% do not have access to electricity, meaning that almost no one has access to print, TV or the internet and only 50% have access to radio broadcasting. Information flow FROM communities - There is a need to put in place a system for the international response as a whole to capture community feedback and input that should feed into humanitarian decision-making and which highlights the differentiated impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people affected, by sex and age. This should facilitate adapting response based on this feedback. There is at this stage no coordinated community participation in planning and monitoring processes. Risk of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Corruption The current high demand for staff may lead to hiring people with little time to check for references and screen for inappropriate candidates. This can result in higher risks of SEA, fraud and corruption, especially when aid response is perceived as making inappropriate use of resources. Systematic mechanisms for lodging complaints or allegations of SEA are required for an impartial, inter-agency response level. These mechanisms need to be mindful that different s of people perceive their capacity to complain is linked to their sex, age and ability. AAP and CwC already planned Assessment - The AAP/CwC team has been producing tools and support for higher quality assessment in an effort to promote the inclusion of AAP and CwC in any assessments commencing in the near future. In addition, a guide to questions for community consultations has been made available and an exercise in road testing and refining questions with communities around Tacloban will commence this week. Coordination - OCHA will deploy two longer term CwC coordinators on Nov 25, one national, one international. Must do actions EDG OCHA EDG to contact donor s requesting support to AAP and CwC specific project proposals in revised Action Plan, giving preference to projects with demonstrable consideration of aspects of AAP and CwC. Ensure continuation of Inter-Agency AAP role, providing coordination of AAP activities, and technical advice. Staff member should be supported by OCHA, but not required to be OCHA staff, can be seconded from any agency. EDG forwards request to donor s AAP staff member based in OCHA country/field office (in addition to CwC staff) 2

3 D T T Involve national and international NGOs in T processes Ensure that community feedback is sought and disaggregated according to sex, age, disability and diversity and is taken into account in humanitarian planning processes. Advocate with donors to support projects with explicit AAP, PSEA and CwC aspects or goals and a strong emphasis on gender, measurable by the IASC Gender Marker To establish a culture of accountability in the response, include, and advise that it will be included, AAP, PSEA and CwC as specific subjects in operational peer review Communicate with affected communities on programming, from needs assessment to evaluations, with clusters modifying operational planning based on local and regional priorities, ensuring that women and vulnerable s have equal access to information Inform communities with decisions on programming, even when negative. All new staff and all new organisations in clusters are aware of PSEA MOS in emergencies, and are made aware of responsibilities with regards to codes of conduct. At least four members of T body to be NGOs, two being national NGOs Operations planning and monitoring processes demonstrate the link between expressed community views and programme plans Number of projects in appeal with AAP apparent are funded AAP, PSEA and CwC as subjects in operational review documentation Number of Focus Group discussions held at Barangay level CLAs report number of meetings held with communities post decision making All clusters informed of PSEA MOS Agencies All staff made aware of PSEA issues TORs reflect that staff agree to MOS on PSEA AAP/PSE Draw lessons learned from T report on AAP Lessons learned document A Task created and shared Team AAP/PSE A Task Team Support response by providing a conduit for information to global level clusters, donors and the IASC community and link with the/an inter-agency gender network, if it has been established Regular updates End End February Should do actions EDG Include discussions with communities as part of planned operational peer reviews of L3 response for direct feedback on quality of the response and report on the same in a way that reflects the sex and age disaggregated nature of information collection and dissemination Advocate to donors to ensure a degree of flexibility in funding to adapt programs to context as clearer picture of mid-to-long term needs emerge. Ensure these emerging needs reflect the different priorities and needs of targeted s by sex and age Draft and disseminate an AAP/PSEA code of conduct to all responding agencies, including UN, INGOs NNGOs, Number of FGDs with community members and EDs Action Plan specifically mentions flexibility in adapting programmes CoC is disseminated to all agencies with instruction to Early- 3

4 D D T Donors military, private contractors, and advocate for an equivalent CoC on behalf of the GoP Ensure the establishment of an Inter-Agency feedback and complaints mechanism, under the auspices of the D and linked to the existing GoP system Engagement from all key stakeholders to acknowledge and implement the commitments to be accountable to affected populations (CAAP) in responding to the crisis. Ensures AAP is integrated into relevant and key processes and documentation, such as; assessments, strategies, programme and project proposals, monitoring and evaluations, cluster performance framework and linked to gender analysis in the response. Advocate for AAP, PSEA and CwC to be included as integral to the response, and fund projects with accountability and communications components expressly included Coordinated common messaging on aid provision is needed principles of delivery and codes of conduct including MOS on PSEA, rights of recipients, beneficiary criteria that includes core messaging on how certain s may have been targeted and why, broken down by sex and age, limits to international aid role, etc. Community consultation is a primary means of determining cluster operational plans, including setting local response standards s develop robust community information campaigns, to explain their planning and operations, as well as more traditional messages such as hygiene. Multiple avenues of communication are used, including community mobilisers self-assess on accountability, monitor and report on AAP in the cluster Ensure transparency with context specific channels of communication in terms of decisions made, where and how to get aid, and selection criteria. inform all staff Numbers of recorded contacts, requests for information responded to, complaints referred and complaints closed, disaggregated by sex and age at a minimum AAP reflected throughout Strategic Response Plan, in organisational inductions and TORs Number of AAP relevant passages in planning and monitoring documents and meaningful links to gender assessment, activities etc. Number of projects in appeal with AAP/PSEA/CwC apparent are funded, number of topics in donor briefings and visits Number of inter-agency messages disseminated through multiple channels As much time spent on interacting with local communities as reporting back to HQ Number of messages developed and delivered, number of different avenues of message delivery employed Self-assessment reports shared publicly Number of cluster specific messages disseminated through multiple channels Agencies Agencies Employ national staff rather than international when possible in coordination and communication positions to minimise turnover AAP and PSEA definition included in recruitment, staff inductions, trainings and performance management, partnership agreements, reporting, etc. as per AAP Operational Framework Change in ratio of international to national over first months of emergency Number of AAP, PSEA and CwC specific mentions in HR documentation 4

5 Could do actions Include AAP/PSEA and CwC in reporting at T Standard agenda items include AAP T Report back to EDG with briefing on AAP actions taken, Report shared with EDG as and self-assessment by T agencies on AAP issues part of operational review T Publicly available statement of accountability Statement disseminated commitments including on PSEA that highlights the specific vulnerabilities particular to women, girls, boys and men. Donors End Donor coordination and dialogue on AAP, including a review of impact of donor interventions on the accountability of the response More detailed inter-cluster mapping of communications requirements, that include a strong gender analysis, to improve understanding of the communication needs and challenges facing different segments of the communities Ensure basic AAP training of staff is taking place, and agency approach on AAP is shared appropriately. Donor review complete April Inter-agency assessment of communication needs completed Number of AAP trainings held End 5